Newport Living
by XWaltzforVenusX
Summary: RyanTaylor. Very AU, sequel to 'Chino'. Can Ryan and Taylor survive in Newport?
1. Chapter 1

_Ok, first a general note: for those of you who haven't read 'Chino', go read that first. This is the sequel, so you'll miss a whole lot of references._

_Now, for those of you who've stayed with me: Oh God, I'm so nervous posting this. I feel like this story has a totally different vibe than 'Chino' (though, that could just be me). So I hope you all like it, and please don't judge me too harshly… _

_P.S. – again, I guess I should warn that this story _is_ rated M for a reason._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"A stalker _and_ a crazy hotel owner?" Sandy chuckled. Kirsten grinned into her glass of wine.

"All in my first hour. Chino is majorly scary," Taylor nodded, taking a huge bite of food. "Oh. No offense," she looked sheepishly at Ryan, who just smiled.

"It's cool. Chino isn't the easiest place to live." Ryan stabbed at a noodle helplessly. The night had turned into a huge discussion of Taylor's stay in Chino, and the Cohens were ecstatic to have some insight into Ryan's pre-Newport life. When Ryan finally looked up, it was to see Seth's reaction.

The boy was grinning, almost ear to ear. And he was just staring at Ryan. Grinning.

"What?" Ryan growled.

"Nothing, I just love these stories," Seth tried to control his smile, toning it down a bit. "Tell us more," he demanded, turning back to Taylor.

She was glad the Cohens liked her. When Ryan had invited her over for dinner, she had been a bit wary. Kirsten, if not the others, knew her mother. She very much hoped Kirsten wouldn't hold it against her, and the woman hadn't. In fact, as the night went on, Taylor kept wishing Kirsten was _her_ mom. And Sandy? It would be awesome to have a father like that.

"Well, I talked to one of his ex-girlfriends," she began and Ryan choked on a piece of chicken.

"Taylor…" his tone was warning, but the girl was too eager to tell the story.

"...and she showed me this picture…"

Ryan stood up, the sound of the chair scraping back stopping them all. He grabbed Taylor's hand, and pulled her out through the kitchen and into the living room.

Seth and Sandy waited till they were out of hearing before bursting into laughter.

"I really want to hear the end of that story," Kirsten remarked, hiding her own smile.

"I wonder if it has something to do with a naked baby Ryan…" Seth mused, harking back to the picture comment.

"You know, for a guy, you sure have a weird fascination with naked Ryan," Taylor observed, entering the room again and dragging Ryan behind her.

"Well, I see grumpy bear decided to come back," Seth spoke, ignoring Taylor's comment. Ryan just glared, trying to split the look between Seth and Taylor.

"Now, Taylor dear, please continue," Sandy invited, grinning.

* * *

"Are you really mad at me?" Taylor stared at Ryan's back. She was nervously standing at the pool house door, having just entered. After dinner, he had stormed off to his room.

He turned around, trying to hold his angry look, but failing. His shoulders slumped. "No." She gave him a million watt smile, and skipped over to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Good. Cause you're no fun when you're mad," she leaned up to kiss him, and he gave up any pretense of being even slightly annoyed.

He was just about to throw her onto his bed when the pool house door opened.

"Whoa. I do not need to see that," Seth made an exaggerated point of looking away and gagging. Ryan broke the kiss, and turned angrily to his friend.

"What do you want Seth," he said through clenched teeth, making it painfully obvious that he wanted to be alone with Taylor.

"Oh, the rents want to know if you're ok. They're all afraid that inviting your girlfriend over this soon was 'encroaching on your life' too much." He made air quotes, something he seemed to have picked up from Summer.

"I thought you invited me over?" Taylor's arms fell away from him, and she stepped back to get a better angle on his face.

"Sorry, dude, didn't know it was a secret," Seth muttered, backing out of the door. "I'll just leave you two alone…"

When he was gone, Ryan stopped glaring, and looked back at Taylor. "I did invite you. Sandy and Kirsten just… gave me the idea."She folded her arms over her stomach and lifted one eyebrow. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to meet the people who adopted me." She continued her stare. "I… thought you'd be overwhelmed?" He just wanted her to stop that look.

"No, you were afraid, because that's what you do. I lived with you for a month and a half, and you kicked me out when you thought I might stay." She rolled her eyes, and spun to sit on his bed wearily. "I swear, Ryan, you're going to have to get over the whole 'fear of commitment' thing sometime. Because I don't know how many times I'm going to keep letting it slide."

Ryan had no idea how to stop this train wreck. This happened all the time. Girls in Newport were so dramatic. They got upset over everything. He flashed back to the time right before school when Marissa would suddenly get angry for no apparent reason. He just needed to know what to say to make her feel better. Maybe he should buy her flowers. Did girls in Newport consider flowers romantic, or would he have to spring for a diamond or something?

"Ryan? Hello?" He looked up at her. "You spaced out there for a little."

That couldn't be good, he thought, closing his eyes. "Look, Taylor…" he opened them again, and stopped short. She was lying on his bed, propped up on the pillows with a smile on her face. "Um…"

"Well, it's nice that you feel so guilty all the time…" she caught his attention when she ran her hands down her stomach, "but are you done? Cause I wanted to test out your bed."

He swallowed hard. "That sounds good."

Taylor giggled, blushing a little as he stared. "Ryan, take off your pants and get on the bed," she ordered, pulling her shirt over her head and throwing it somewhere. He found himself obligingly popping the button of his jeans open, and undoing the zipper. Taylor smiled happily and sighed as he stripped in front of her.

"Ryan, sweetie, are you ok?" Kirsten at least had the manners to knock, unlike her son. Still, Ryan had to resist the urge to scream. He pulled his pants back up hurriedly as Taylor scrambled to find her discarded shirt. "Ryan?" Kirsten's voice was worried, and she knocked again. Ryan swore, and looked over his shoulder where Taylor nodded at him. He opened the door.

"Hey, Kirsten." He tried to block the door as much as possible to hide Taylor, who was still smoothing her hair down.

Kirsten wasn't stupid though. She flushed a bright red, said "oh," and mumbled some excuse before walking back to the house.

Ryan let his head clunk against the door, and he groaned. Great, Kirsten was going to be weird around him, and think he was some sort of pervert.

He noticed that Taylor was giggling behind him, and he looked over his shoulder at her. "This isn't funny. That's my adoptive mother," he groaned as it really sank in. For some reason, getting caught by Kirsten was a million times worse than if they had ever been caught by Dawn.

"Come on Ryan… you just _know_ Seth and Sandy are going to find out…" she trailed off, consumed by laughter.

"You don't seem too upset," he scowled.

"Well, they're not my family," she told him. "And it's not me they'll be disappointed in. See, I'm just a helpless girl that you've been preying upon, you dirty fiend," she grinned wickedly at him.

"'Dirty fiend'? I'll give you 'dirty fiend'," he muttered, stalking toward her. She gave a little scream and jumped over the bed, trying to get away from him. He growled and sprang over the bed after her.

* * *

Kirsten glanced at her husband in horror as they heard a scream from the pool house. "Oh God," she whispered as Sandy began to chuckle.

"Well, at least the boy has a healthy sex drive," Sandy grinned as Kirsten slammed her glass down and began pacing the kitchen.

"Sandy," she whispered as if Ryan could hear her, "when we took him in, I did not expect this!" She looked nervously out the window as another playful scream tore from Ryan's residence.

"The boy is sixteen, Kirsten. And Taylor is a good looking girl, can you blame him?" Kirsten smiled at her husband, not able to be angry at his remark. She had to admit Taylor was beautiful.

"I know, but does he have to be sixteen so _loudly_? It's disturbing. What if Seth…"

"What if Seth?" Sandy asked, grinning. "I hear he and that Summer Roberts are somewhat-maybe-kind-of seeing each other."

Kirsten dropped her head into her hands and began pacing again. "You have to talk to him," she said. "Give him the talk. I'm sure his mother never talked to him about this. I can only imagine what he picked up in Chino…"

"Kirsten, you say that like people in Newport aren't sexual deviants. Look at Julie Cooper," he jerked his head in the direction of their next door neighbors, but Kirsten only looked at him pleadingly. He sighed, "fine. I'll talk to him, ok? Tomorrow morning, because I am not going in there now." His eyebrows shot up at the thought, and he walked away, shaking his head.

* * *

Taylor was shaking from her orgasm, and Ryan smiled smugly as he made his way up her body. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. "You shouldn't mess with me," he told the top of her head.

"If you're trying to get me to stop arguing with you by making me have awesome orgasms, I think your classical conditioning approach is a little off," she grinned into his t-shirt.

"Well, maybe my real intention is to make you incredibly horny every time you're mad at me. That way, you'll never be able to win an argument," he slid his hand down the curve of her back.

She looked up at him, eyes smoldering. "How do you know I'm not already horny every time we fight?"

Ryan stared at her for a second. "Fantastic," he breathed, closing the distance between their lips.

_

* * *

_

Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter two! __Not much happens, just some background stuff leading up to the major drama. I love drama…_

_Enjoy, and review!_

* * *

This had to be the most mortifying thing he had ever been through. He just wished he could disappear; literally sink into the floor. Sandy looked just as embarrassed as he was.

"And you know about protection, right?"

Ryan groaned, and put his head in his hands. This was awful.

"Of course," Sandy amended quickly, "of course you do. Good. That saves that whole conversation."

"Thank God," Ryan's voice mumbled out from his hands.

"Well, you know, then, that the best form of contraception is abstinence, right?" Ryan groaned again, tightening his hands around his face.

"Sandy," Ryan tried to plead with his adoptive father.

"Look, kiddo, this is just as bad for me as it is for you." Ryan glanced up. "But Kirsten, she wants me to do this. She worries a lot. She's not used to having a son who's so… familiar with girls."

"Sandy, I've been familiar with girls since I was-" Sandy cut him off by holding up his hand.

"Please. I may understand, but I do not need the details." Ryan grinned, and nodded.

* * *

Seth groaned, "dude, I've had that talk. My dad is so bad at it, because you know he's all proud that you've grown up, and he's secretly rooting for you to get laid." Ryan laughed.

They sat on the couches of Harbor, waiting for Summer to get her coffee. School would start soon, and the girl needed some extra caffeine.

"What are you guys talking about?" Summer bounced joyously on the couch next to Seth. He grinned at her.

"Ryan and my dad talking about the birds and the bees." Ryan rolled his eyes. Seth could never keep a secret, or anything else, from Summer.

Summer threw him a surprised look. "Chino, you've never…"

Seth laughed. "Summer, my joy, you said it yourself: he's from Chino. Of course he's had sex. Lots of anonymous, drunken-" he stopped when he saw the look on Ryan's face.

Summer snorted, "plus he's dating Taylor Townsend, who is not known for waiting…"

"Wow, Summer, that's so sweet." Taylor's perky voice sounded from behind them, and Summer froze.

"Oh my God, Taylor, I'm so sorry," Summer gushed, whipping around, but Taylor waved her off.

"It's ok. I know everyone thinks I'm this big whore. I got over it a long time ago." Summer nodded, looking skeptical and a little sad. Seth smiled at his kind of-maybe girlfriend. She actually felt bad; she was growing.

Taylor sat down next to Ryan, leaning over to kiss him. Seth and Summer watched in fascination as he turned from an angry, ready to punch somebody at any moment, boy into someone who was actually happy.

"So Taylor, ask what Ryan did this morning before school," Seth interrupted their kiss, grinning widely.

"What did you do before school?" Taylor asked dutifully. "Oh God, is it dirty?" she looked at him reproachfully. "You tell Seth that?"

Seth broke into hysterics, and Summer began to giggle. "No," Ryan's tone was clipped and a little angry. "I just had a conversation with Sandy."

"Oh, what about?" She seemed unfazed about her previous comment and it's affect on the other two.

"Nothing."

"You and him doing the nasty," Seth finally calmed down enough to speak. "Apparently my mom was all afraid that he was taking advantage of you."

"I can kill you with one hand, Seth. You know that, right?"

"Stop being so dramatic, Ryan," Taylor scolded, smiling. "And see, I was right. Sandy and Kirsten blame you, I'm an innocent in this." She grinned at Summer, who smiled back hesitantly, still half afraid that Taylor was angry.

"Hey."

The group looked up to find Marissa standing there, Luke's arm around her shoulder.

"Coop!" Summer sprang up and hugged her friend. Seth and Ryan nodded at her warily.

"Hey Marissa," Taylor's voice was quiet.

"Taylor," Marissa was stiff. Taylor sighed – it seemed the girl hadn't gotten any fonder of her since the party.

* * *

"So what's with Taylor and Ryan?" Marissa whispered to Summer, keeping her eyes locked on the front of the room. Summer leaned over slightly, not turning her head either.

"They're dating."

"Well, obviously, but why?" A boy in the row in front of them turned around, glaring. Summer sat back up straight, and Marissa folded her arms. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the teacher drone on about something. "I mean, what does he see in her?" The boy turned around again.

Summer sighed, getting out a pen and paper.

_I don't know. She's pretty._

The note flew silently sideways, landing on the floor near Marissa's foot. She leaned over stealthily, picking up the piece of folded paper. She read it, then scribbled a reply.

_Yeah, but she's such a freak. I mean, look how she dresses. Who wears sweaters__ like that?_

The note hit Summer's knee, landing on the floor again. Summer was just as discreet in picking it up as Marissa had been.

_You're basing this off her style? Look, I know you don't like her, but she's not that bad. Don't hate me, ok?_

There was a rustling of paper as it hit Marissa's desk. The boy turned around with another glare. Summer glared right back, and the boy turned around.

_Oh, Sum. I could never hate you. I just don't see what he sees in her. She's so annoying._

Summer was surprised that the note landed perfectly on her desk this time. She gave Marissa a little clap at the throw, and the other girl bowed her head in recognition.

_She's not that annoying when she's not trying to control the situation. She's actually kind of funny. You should have heard her talk today. It was really sad, she said something like 'I know everyone thinks I'm a big whore. I'm over it'. I feel kind of bad for her._

She tried to get the paper to land on Marissa's desk, but it didn't, instead landing on her shoe.

_Let me guess, you want to 'give her a chance'. God Sum, haven't you used all your charity up at the hospital?_

She threw the note back a little harder than she should have. It slid across Summer's desk, then off to the side, landing between Seth's feet. Marissa's eyes flew wide.

"Cohen!" Summer whispered. The boy turned, smiling at her. She pointed to the note between his feet. He picked it up. "Don't read it!" she mouthed at him.

"Why?" he mimed back. "Is it about me?"

"No!" her reply was a little louder than she thought, and a couple people turned around. She smiled at them, and they turned back.

Seth was grinning. "It's about me," he opened the note.

"Cohen, do not read that!" Summer resisted the urge to jump across the aisle.

"Sum!" Marissa whispered in horror. Summer shot her a desperate look. She glanced back over at Seth, whose face had fallen a little. He looked up at Marissa, disappointment covering his face. Marissa groaned, folding her arms and turning to pay attention to the teacher.

* * *

"Hey, man." Seth sat down next to Ryan at the lunch table.

"Hey," Ryan answered back through a mouthful of food.

"Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news-" Ryan shot him a look, "-ok, I love to be the bearer of bad news, but I actually don't want to do this. See, we were in English, and there was a note. I shouldn't have read it, but I did. Summer's gonna be so mad at me-"

"Seth. Spit it out."

"You're going to have more trouble than you thought with this whole Taylor-Marissa-you triangle."

"There's no triangle," Ryan looked down at his tray of food.

"Oh, dude, there's a triangle." He glanced over his shoulder and did a double take. "Maybe a square…"

Ryan looked over to where Seth's eyes were focused. "Who's that?" he pointed his fork at a tall, dark-haired guy talking to Taylor by the door.

"That's Hunter Sheldon. He's like, president of everything. I think he and Taylor used to date. Or, they went to the freshman prom, or something. I don't know."

Ryan flashed back to his living room in Chino.

_**"Her phone," Trey pointed at the small device making the noise and vibrating its way across the table. "She always gets calls while she's in the shower."**_

_**Ryan dutifully picked it up, looking at the display. "Who's Hunter?" Trey shrugged.**_

_

* * *

_

You know, when I actually wrote that little part for 'Chino', I just pi_cked a random guys name out of the blue, and now I wish it had been something better than 'Hunter'. Oh well, hindsight's 20/20 and all that._

_Review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter three is here, __which__ I'__m just going to__ title: Drama and Pointless Smut._

_Enjoy, and review!_

* * *

"Thanks again for inviting me, Mrs. Cohen," Taylor smiled, placing dishes into the washer.

"Please, call me Kirsten," the woman replied, smiling back.

"Kirsten," she whispered delightedly.

* * *

"I like her," Sandy said over his shoulder.

"Eh, she's ok," Ryan said monotonously. Sandy turned around, surprised, then broke into a smile when he saw the laughter in his adoptive son's eyes. "I like her, too," Ryan amended.

* * *

"Come over tomorrow," Ryan broke off the kiss, breathing heavily. Taylor kissed down his neck, pulling his shirt open.

"Hm?" she moaned against his skin. He grabbed the back of her head gently, pulling her away.

"I said come over tomorrow. It's a Friday, so we'll have more time," he raised one eyebrow suggestively. She moaned in response, pressing her body closer to his. He caught her lips again, pushing his tongue into her mouth roughly.

"Mmm, I can't," she broke away.

"Can't?"

"Tomorrow, I can't come over. Didn't I tell you?" she ran her tongue up his neck.

"Tell me what?" his hand slid up her shirt, cupping her breast.

"Well, for the fall production, we're doing 'The King and I', but the lighting is all wrong," she panted. "So Hunter and I are working on it all night. Ryan?"

He had pulled away from her, putting a few inches between them. "Hunter? Is that the guy you were talking to at lunch today?"

She shot him a confused look, and laughed a little warily. "Yeah," she tried to step back into him, but he backed away. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you have to work on it 'all night'?"

"He said it would take hours to get the lighting just right. We have to program the different settings for the different scenes…" she stopped when he gave a little laugh. "What?"

"You bought that?" he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Bought what? Ryan, what is going on?"

"The whole bullshit about it taking all night. It doesn't take that long to program lighting."

"Right, because you know _so_ much about it," she folded her arms protectively over her stomach.

"Apparently I know more about it than you. Don't you see what this guy's trying to do? Seth told me about you and him," he accused.

"Oh my God," her voice raised an octave. "Are you seriously doing this?"

"Doing what?" his voice got lower.

"The whole jealousy thing." He didn't answer. "Fine, well, call me when you've regained your senses." She grabbed her purse and walked out the door.

* * *

"So where's Taylor?" Seth flopped on the couch next to him, spilling the bowl of popcorn.

"Ew, Cohen, look what you did," Summer flicked the kernels off her lap. Then she looked up, a little curious. "Where _is_ Taylor?"

"She had plans, something about a play."

"Ah, drama club," Seth nodded wisely.

"Isn't Hunter there with her?" Marissa looked over from the chair. The three watched Ryan's jaw clench as he didn't answer. Instead, he focused back on the TV.

Summer cleared her throat, "so, what movie are we going to watch?"

* * *

Ryan grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, slamming the door closed.

"Hey," Marissa's soft voice sounded from behind him. He glanced over at her.

"Hey."

"Sorry to hear about Taylor. It sucks that she's with him. I know they used to date." She came to lean on the counter next to him.

"I thought they just went to prom together," he tensed up.

"No. I think they were going together for a while. But after prom everyone started talking about what a slut she was, so they broke up," Marissa walked over to the fridge, looking for something to drink. "Are the Cohens home?"

"No," Ryan wasn't focusing on her. He was focusing on how much he wanted to beat the shit out of Hunter Sheldon.

"Good." He heard a clank, and turned around in time to see her pulling out a bottle of vodka.

* * *

Taylor sighed impatiently, glancing at her watch. "You almost done?" she called up to the stage where Hunter was pulling levers.

"Taylor, patience," he laughed. She sighed again.

* * *

Marissa snorted with laughter, and the other three shot her wary looks.

"It wasn't that funny, Coop," Summer glanced back at the TV. "It's actually kinda stupid."

"Don't you think you should take it easy?" Seth watched the girl pour another shot of vodka. "No? Ok, I'm just gonna watch TV again."

* * *

"Done," Hunter declared, hopping off the stage.

"Finally," she breathed, grabbing her purse. "Thanks a lot, Hunter," her manners said.

"Whoa, where are you going? I was thinking, since we missed dinner, we could go and eat," he grabbed her arm.

"Look, Hunter, I told you about a million times, no."

"Why, cause you're with that Ryan guy?" he pulled her closer to him. "Where do you think he is right now?"

"He's hanging out with Seth, Summer and… Marissa," she tried not to sound unsure.

"And do you really think he's just… 'hanging out' with _Marissa Cooper_?"

* * *

"Ryan," Marissa stumbled into the pool house.

"Marissa."

"You left the party," she looped an arm around his neck.

"Yeah, it's not really a party. It was supposed to be a nice quiet night watching movies," he ducked out of her grasp, feeling exhausted.

"Well, I like parties. And that was no fun," she waved her hands towards the house. "You know, we could have some fun in here…"

* * *

Taylor walked around the Cohens house. She didn't want to stop and see anyone else, she just wanted to talk to Ryan. She knocked lightly on the pool house door. There was no answer.

"Ryan?" she called, trying the handle. It was unlocked, so she pushed the door in, and gasped.

"Taylor," Ryan looked up, startled.

"Easy girl," she whispered to herself, taking in Ryan's naked torso. He was rubbing a towel through his hair, just emerging from the shower. "Hey, I just got done," she explained, forcing herself to look at his face. "I wanted to come over and… apologize."

"For what?" he walked to his closet and pulled a shirt on.

"For getting angry at you," she sighed. "I know you were just being you."

He came up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Somehow, I think I'll forgive you," he grinned.

"Will you now?" she mused, leaning up to kiss him. He nodded, not breaking the kiss. "You know," she whispered against him, "it's still Friday night. We don't have to get up for school tomorrow. The Cohens aren't home. We have _all night_." He groaned, pushing her onto the bed and getting on top of her. "We haven't properly tested out your bed yet," she pointed out, pulling the hem of his shirt up.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" he breathed, ripping the zipper of her jeans down. He realized then that they hadn't had sex since he first showed up in Newport. Even when she had come over for dinner, they hadn't, they'd just fooled around.

Desperation hit him, and he pulled her jeans down roughly. She gasped, laughing a little, but he ignored it. Her shirt was next, landing on the floor near the bathroom, her bra on the lamp. He kissed his way down her stomach, fingers slipping inside the elastic waistband of her panties. She moaned as they slid over her legs, his mouth following them down.

"Ryan…" she breathed, reaching her hand down, trying to bring him back up to her. He ignored her, trailing his tongue up her inner thigh. She unconsciously spread her legs further apart as he neared the apex of her legs. He paused, smirking a little as their eyes met. She let out a loud moan of anticipation, letting her head drop back onto the pillow.

Taylor's hips lifted off the bed as his tongue made contact with her. All thoughts of Hunter's proposal, and of Ryan and Marissa together, flew out of her head. How could she have ever doubted this? This connection? It wasn't just physical – although that was fantastic, too. She felt his thumb run over her, rubbing her clit as his tongue pushed inside her.

"Ryan!" she grabbed the back of his head with one hand, the other running through her hair. She felt him laugh against her. "Stop teasing me," she whined when he pulled away. He grinned at her, sliding up her body, making sure to keep constant contact. A moan escaped her as the rough fabric of his jeans pressed into her.

"You want it?" he panted, kissing her jaw line. She nodded, fumbling at the button of his pants.

* * *

Ryan was thankful that she said yes, because he wasn't sure if he could physically stop right now. The hands at the crotch of his pants weren't helping either. He held his breath and waited while she pulled his pants open, trying to be patient. She fumbled a little, and he growled. "Are you done yet?" She giggled, slowing down even more.

He pushed himself off her, tearing his pants and boxers off in one quick motion. Grabbing a condom, he jumped back on her, smothering her giggles with a kiss. He felt the condom being pulled out of his hand, and she tore the packet open. He broke the kiss, closing his eyes tightly and clenching his jaw as she rolled the latex on him. When she was done, she ran her fingers over him lightly, tilting her hips up.

A sound tore itself from his throat as he pushed into her. God, he had missed this – the feeling of her around him, the mewling sounds she made, the way her eyes fluttered closed, everything. He wanted it to last forever. So he went slow, kissing her mouth, her jaw, her ear, her neck, her collarbone. She was writhing beneath him, nails raking down his back as he pumped into her.

He was so wrapped up just _feeling_ her, that he missed what she was saying. When he finally caught her words, he smiled. "_God, Ryan. __Ohmygod__ohmygod__, Ryan."_ He dipped down to kiss her lightly, then pulled away to focus on her face.

"Taylor," his voice was soft, and it seemed she could barely hear it. "Taylor," he repeated, a little louder. "Taylor, look at me." Her eyes opened, "good girl."

"Ryan," she breathed, searching his face.

"I want you to look at me," he explained, and she whimpered. He could feel her nearing completion, her whole body tensing, eyes dilating, breathing getting shallower. "Hey, look at me," he reminded her when her eyes started to drift closed. She nodded, biting her lip.

He felt her orgasm, tightening around him. But she did her best, and kept her eyes open, desperation filling her gaze as he watched her come. "Ryan," her voice was barely audible, but the sound made his own body tighten almost painfully. He was silent as his orgasm took hold.

He fell onto his side next to her, and she followed him. Her leg fell over his hip, keeping him buried inside her. "Wow," she tried to giggle, but it came out choked.

"Yeah," he brushed a piece of hair away from her face, kissing where his fingers smoothed over her skin. "Look, Taylor…" she looked up at him, "I just… I wanted to say, I…" she waited. "Nevermind."

_

* * *

_

I think I'm going to start doing previews again. So, next time on 'Newport _Living__': uncomfortable Ryan, rumors, and drama!_

_Review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Yay__! Chapter __four__, filled with smutty and __angsty__ goodness!_

_Enjoy, and review!_

* * *

Ryan waited, tapping his fingers on the table and glancing at his phone often. She was late. Again.

"Ryan!" he glanced up, and she was waving at him from across the room. He tried to smile and wave back, but he didn't quite manage it. "You're angry," she slumped into the booth.

"Not angry. I'm just not sure why you have to spend so much time with this guy."

She sighed, "I'm sorry, I know you don't like Hunter." He snorted. "But he's the head of the technical department, and I'm running the play. We _have_ to work together a lot."

"Ok, well, I didn't even want to come to this thing tonight," he gestured around them at the Newport Group fundraiser. "You made me come, and then showed up an hour and a half late."

Taylor glanced around the room, filled with the cream of the social crop. She knew how bored Ryan must have been, what with Seth following Summer around. Ryan had sat himself in a secluded booth in the back of the room, pretty much hiding himself with the distance coupled with the low lighting. She had barely seen him herself. "I know. I'm really sorry, " she caught his hand in her own. Ryan felt slightly guilty that he was so irritated. And he _was_ angry, but the pleading look in her eyes made him feel bad about wanting to murder Hunter. "But I want to make it up to you. I want to thank you, for putting up with this. I want to let you know how grateful I am that you've been so amazing about this."

* * *

Ryan clenched his fist around his drink. Noises from the party drifted towards him, and he tried to think only of them. He smiled and waved stiffly at people walking past his booth, wishing it was over, and that it would never stop.

"Ryan Atwood," an older man greeted him.

"Hi," he grunted, trying to think of a name but failing miserably. He could barely process any thoughts right now.

The man sat in the seat on the other side of the booth, and Ryan began to panic. The man didn't seem to notice. "I heard from Sandy Cohen that you used to work construction?" Ryan nodded. "Well, if you ever want to take a summer job, I have some construction positions open." Ryan realized suddenly that this was Simon Maxwell, the head of a very prominent architectural group.

"That would be great, Mr. Maxwell," he replied. Maxwell was about to say something else when Ryan began choking suddenly.

"Are you alright?" Maxwell looked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ryan regained composure, but his face was pale, like all the blood was gone. He looked strained.

"You should get some sleep, son," Maxwell reached out his hand and Ryan shook it.

"I'll do that, sir."

He waited until Maxwell was out of sight before letting out a grunt, and dropping his head into his hands. Anyone passing would think he was just a little tired.

The truth was that Taylor Townsend was sucking his dick like a pro under the table. He bit into his palm to keep from groaning as she deep throated him, purring. He shuddered, and she swallowed his come compulsively.

He was slumped forward, exhausted. "You're ok," he whispered when no one was looking. She quickly popped up from the floor, and retook her seat, opening the menu.

"This party has such great food, don't you think?" she asked cheerfully.

* * *

Ryan leaned against Taylor's locker, trapping her between the cold metal and his body. She giggled, playing with his shirt.

_Ew__, look at them. She's such a slut."_

Taylor froze as the whisper reached her ear. She turned to look at two girls laughing at her. She tried to focus back on Ryan.

_"Why is he with her? He's so hot… although I heard her mom's really loaded. Maybe he's after that."_

"Taylor, what's wrong?" Ryan's voice cut through the whispers.

"Nothing," she tried to smile at him. "So you were saying something about Simon Maxwell?"

"Yeah," his eyes lit up. "Apparently Sandy talked to him about me, and he offered me a job next summer doing construction." She grinned up at him.

_"Maybe he's just as big of a freak as she is."_

"I should get to class," she pushed past him, not looking back at the confusion on his face.

She tried to get rid of the whispers as she walked. They were the same things that her mother said to her; that she said to herself.

_"All I know is she's dragging Ryan down with her."_

Taylor froze, ducking behind a pillar. Marissa and Summer were sitting on the couches with Seth.

"And I'm not?" Seth asked, shooting a glare at the tall girl.

"Well, no, because you're with Summer now. But Ryan? He's a nobody here right now, and she's a social leper."

* * *

She felt fingertips brush against her side, and smiled. "Ryan-" her voice broke off when it wasn't him.

"Not quite," Hunter smiled at her. "How's it going?"

Taylor glanced up at the stage where they were hanging the scenery. "Fine, I guess. Taking forever, though," she shot another glance at her watch.

"You know, you used to be so dedicated," he mused. "You spent so much time and energy on your work. Now it's always 'they're taking forever', or 'how long will this take'. I heard talk that they're thinking of replacing you."

"Because I actually have a life now?" the day caught up with her, and she barely held her voice together.

"You're always rushing to be with that Ryan kid. Maybe if he joined the clubs with you, or something, then you could spend time together _and_ do work. Cause right now, you're so wrapped up in him, you're ignoring everything else."

* * *

"So, are you going to join anything?" she picked at the hem of her shirt.

"Hm?" he asked, glancing away from the TV.

"At Harbor. Are you going to join any clubs, or sports, or something?"

He laughed. "Taylor, I'm not really an extra-curricular kind of guy," he put his arm around her shoulders. "Why?"

"Well, you're new to the school, you should try to make friends."

"I have friends."

"I meant beyond Seth, Summer, Marissa and I," she resisted the urge to make a face when she said 'Marissa'. "You aren't really known at Harbor. People might get the wrong idea about you."

He sighed, pressing the mute button and turning to her. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

He didn't press the issue, unmuting the TV. "Hey, we're all going to the pier on Saturday, wanna come?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Well," she took a deep breath, "your friends don't really like me. Plus, I have things I should do for the play."

"Seth likes you, and I think Summer's coming around." He didn't say anything about Marissa. "You're always doing stuff for the play. Can't you take a night off?"

"No, Ryan, I can't." She pulled away from him angrily. "You can't waltz into my life and ask me to give up the things I've been doing for years."

"What?"

"You can't just ask me to stop doing the play. I _like_ doing it, and apparently I've been ignoring my duties to spend time with you. Hunter says they're going to fire me if I don't get my act together." She stood up angrily.

"Oh, Hunter told you that," Ryan laughed. She bristled at his tone. "Yeah, I'm sure he wants you to feel real guilty about being with me."

"That's not fair, Ryan. It's true. I've been cutting out early every day, and not going sometimes. Maybe if you joined…"

"I'm not joining drama club," his voice was condescending, and she looked hurt.

"Well, I'm glad you think so highly of it."

"Taylor…"

"No. Why don't you tell me how you really feel?" she was angry now, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Fine," he growled, standing up as well. "I think you're letting that Hunter guy get to your head. I think he's trying to get back into your pants, and you're oblivious to it. He's trying to turn you against me by making you feel guilty."

"He doesn't need to _try_ and turn me against you," she whispered. "Cause you're doing a damn good job of it right now. All I did was ask you to let me do a little more for the drama club, and you turn this back on Hunter. I get it, you're jealous. Fine, but don't take it out on me."

"I am not jealous," his voice went flat and his face tightened.

"No? Cause you're acting like it. I'm sorry Seth had to tell you about him, I am. But I can't take back anything I did with him. And I know," she turned away from him, pacing, and missing the confused look on his face, "I acted stupidly with him. But I was young, and confused. And I didn't know a lot about guys back then. And he was nice to me. I really liked him, so yes, I slept with him-"

"Wait," Ryan's tone made her freeze. "_He_ was the first guy you…"

"Seth didn't tell you that? Ryan, besides you, he's the _only_ guy I've ever slept with. I know my reputation, but I'm really not a whore. People just think that because we got caught at a party…"

"This is great," Ryan rubbed his eyes, trying to erase the image of her and Hunter together. "Just… fucking great."

"Ryan…"

"No, I think you should go." He couldn't get the picture of them out of his head. He was getting angry, and he needed her to leave before he said something stupid.

"I can't believe you're doing this. I never said one thing about all the girls you've probably done, how _dare_ you hold this against me."

"Yeah, well, I'm not spending an ungodly amount of time with any of them," he blurted out, regretting it immediately.

"No, but you are spending an ungodly amount of time with Marissa Cooper," she hissed.

"What? How did we get to Marissa? Don't turn this on me," he pointed at her.

"Oh, right, I forgot, you're the only one who's allowed to be suspicious and jealous."

"I think you need to leave," he repeated.

"Fine. And from now on, you don't need to worry about me spending time with Hunter, cause we're over."

The door slammed behind her, and Ryan resisted the urge to break something

_

* * *

_

Stay tuned for chapter 5: guilt, misunderstandings, and a break!

_Review please! It makes me post faster…_


	5. Chapter 5

_Oh, drama, my love, how I've missed you…_

* * *

He stayed angry for the whole night, and into the middle of the next day. By the time lunch rolled around, his anger had faded into guilt. He tried to talk to her at one point, but she passed by without even looking at him.

"Dude," Seth shook his head sadly. "You blew it."

"Yeah, I know."

"What's Chino blowing?" Summer shot them a weird look as she looped her arm in Seth's.

"His chances with Taylor," Seth replied, grinning down at her.

"What happened?" Marissa questioned, looking at him with what he assumed was supposed to be sympathy.

"Nothing. It's just a fight," Ryan slammed his locker closed and walked away.

* * *

Taylor moped through her day, not really paying attention to anything.

"Huh? Yeah. Sure, do whatever," she waved her hands at the girl, who had asked her some question about the scenery.

"You seem distracted," Hunter came up behind her. "Thinking about Atwood?"

"No," she set her shoulders. "I'm just thinking of some last-minute changes I might need to do."

He searched her face. "You know, if there's anything you ever need to talk about, I'm here," he put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

* * *

Ryan walked into the auditorium He figured he should get the apology out of the way so they could just get to the make-up sex. The room was dark, the stage brightly lit against an Asian-themed background. He glanced around for her, and found her standing off to the side.

With him.

With his arm around her shoulder.

He turned and walked out, cool anger coursing through his veins.

* * *

A knock came at the pool house door, and he grunted a quick 'come in'. He was a little disappointed to see Marissa enter, smiling.

"Hey, Ryan," she called softly, walking over to his bed.

"Hey."

"I heard about what happened between you and Taylor," she sat on his bed, placing her hand on his arm.

"Yeah."

"Are you ok? I remember how I felt when Luke and I broke up."

He sighed. "It was so stupid. I said something about Hunter, and she got angry…"

"You think she's with Hunter?" Marissa scooted closer to him.

"I don't know. If she wasn't before, she is now."

Marissa cooed in sympathy, hugging him. "They _were_ really close when they were dating." He stiffened, staring at the ceiling like he was trying to see through it. "You know, you just need to get over her. You need to move on." Ryan shrugged. "No, you do. I mean, she's obviously over you."

A stab of anger went through his stomach as he flashed back to Hunter with his arm around Taylor. "Yeah. Get over her."

He froze when Marissa's lips touched his.

* * *

Taylor fought with herself. Should she go in or not? Should she apologize or not? She didn't want to be the one who broke down first, but she also didn't want to stay broken up. They were both just being stupid and stubborn and proud. She steeled herself, taking a deep breath. She was going in.

She opened the door and froze. Marissa Cooper was on his bed, kissing him. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt…" she stumbled away from the door, not bothering to close it properly.

* * *

Ryan fell back onto the bed as Marissa sighed. He pressed his hands to his face, wishing that hadn't just happened.

"It happened," Marissa told him, and he realized he had said it out loud. He groaned into his hands.

* * *

"Taylor-" Sandy started as the girl ran past him. She said nothing, and he watched the girl pull her car door open roughly. Tires squealed as she reversed out of the driveway.

"That doesn't bode well," Kirsten sighed, watching the vehicle disappear down the road.

"I'll go see if he's ok," Sandy said dutifully, heading towards the pool house and Kirsten shook her head.

"Ryan," Sandy knocked on the door, and found it open. He pushed the door wider. "Oh, God," he turned around at the sight of Ryan on his back with Marissa Cooper next to him on the bed.

"Mr. Cohen," Marissa stood, smoothing down her shirt and suppressing a smile. "I'll just be going," she gave a small wave to Ryan before disappearing out the door.

Sandy stood silent for a minute, arms crossed. "I just saw Taylor run out of here. She looked upset."

"Sandy, I don't need this now," Ryan warned, sounding annoyed.

"No, I think you do," his tone was angry, and it made the younger boy sit up. "What the hell were you doing?"

"Nothing! She came over and kissed me, and Taylor walked in."

"Now, that's all and well, but Taylor doesn't seem like the type of girl to just run away from this kind of situation. Enlighten me as to why she didn't let you explain yourself."

Ryan sighed. "Well… we kind of broke up." Sandy raised an eyebrow, waiting. "Because I might have… accused her of cheating on me."

"Oh, brilliant move, kiddo."

* * *

"He's probably been cheating on you the whole time," Veronica sighed, folding her arms as her daughter cried into the pillow. "I mean, you can't even beat Marissa Cooper for social chair, what makes you think you can beat her for a man?"

Taylor had no response, she just curled into a tight ball in the middle of her bed, hugging the pillow tighter to her.

* * *

"You didn't get in touch with the band?" Cathie asked, looking distraught. Marissa shrugged at her podium

"I was… busy, yesterday," she smirked, glancing over at Taylor, who was sitting quietly in the back row. "In fact, I might be really busy from now on. Taylor?" The other girl looked up, meeting the social chair's gaze. "_You_ just had a lot of free time open up, right? Why don't you work on booking the entertainment?"

Taylor resisted the urge to take a running leap at the girl. She could take her. Marissa was taller, yes, but she looked very breakable…

"Taylor?" the girl's amused voice broke in, and the other girls giggled.

"Yeah, sure," she whispered, embarrassment flushing over her face.

* * *

"So Chino and Townsend broke up?" Summer asked warily. Seth nodded.

"I know, it's a shocker," Seth breathed, glad he could finally _talk_ about this. "Apparently he got all jealous over Hunter, and she got defensive, and she broke up with him. Then she went over to apologize, and Marissa was in the pool house, and they were _kissing_." He sucked in air, story finally over. His eyes had lit up with some sort of sick interest.

"Chino kissed Marissa? That doesn't sound like him," Summer ignored the boy's excitement. "It sounds like something _she_ would do, though…"

"Yeah, I was having trouble with the whole kiss thing too. I mean, Ryan's very chivalrous, you know? And he's quite experienced with the ladies, so he can't use the whole 'I didn't realize what was going on' excuse."

* * *

"What do you want?" Taylor asked without inflection, staring at the stage.

"I wanted to talk, about yesterday."

"It was a mistake," she shrugged, as if it were obvious.

Ryan felt relief wash over him. She knew it was a mistake, she knew he hadn't wanted to kiss Marissa. Warmth spread through his chest, and he remembered why he lo-

"It was a mistake for me to go over there. It was a mistake for me to think we could ever work out."

Ryan's stomach lurched, and he was about to say something in protest when Hunter came over, putting his arm around Taylor's waist protectively. The girl looked over at him, anger in her gaze. Rage boiled up inside him, and he just barely held back hitting the other boy. "You're right," he gritted out, letting his anger push aside the panic that was welling up inside his chest, "obviously this was all a huge mistake." He turned rigidly and left the auditorium.

"I told you if you ever needed me, I was here," Hunter hugged her, and she nodded.

_

* * *

_

I'm so mean…

_Next chapter: s__ports, __relaxatio__n__ techniques__, and dresses_

_Review, damnit!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"Ryan? Ryan, are you listening to me?"

The boy looked over at his girlfriend. "Sorry, just… zoned out for a sec. What were you saying?"

She sighed. "I was trying to come up with a better theme for the homecoming dance. I guess we'll just have to go with 'sports', even if that's not very original," she shot a look at Summer.

"Sorry, Coop. This is why I'm not part of the social committee," Summer rolled her eyes, snuggling into Seth for comfort. "I guess you never realized how many ideas Taylor Townsend actually gave you…" she stopped talking because Marissa was glaring at her. Ryan had tensed up and started a staring contest with the wall. Summer sighed wearily. It had been over a month since Taylor and Ryan had broken up, but everyone was still on edge about it.

"Well, I'm not fond of the sports," Seth spoke up, "but I like the idea." He kissed her head encouragingly, and she was thankful for his support, and for the topic change.

* * *

Taylor glanced mournfully at the homecoming posters plastered on the wall. After Ryan and Marissa had started dating, she dropped out of the social committee, not able to be around the smug girl anymore. Her catty comments and the other girls' laughter had caused her endless nights of crying herself to sleep.

"See, I know this is supposed to be all Sadie Hawkins style," a smooth voice said from behind her, "but I was wondering if you'd ask me."

"Hey Hunter," she smiled slightly, not taking her eyes off the bright gold lettering on the advertisement. He was her only friend now, because Seth and Summer had stopped talking to her. They had tried, at first, but glares from Ryan and Marissa had quickly put a stop to _that_ behavior.

"So, are we going?" He sounded hopeful and overeager.

"Truthfully? I was going to try and avoid it," she looked away from the bright poster.

* * *

Ryan watched as Marissa directed traffic, telling people where to place the decorations in the large space. It was all kind of tacky, big goal posts on either side of the gym, Harbor-color pompoms, and lots of helmets everywhere. Ryan was bored, and he wasn't really sure why he had to be here. Taylor never made him- _stop_. He leaned against the wall, playing aimlessly with one of the pompoms.

_The lights dimmed, and he heard the strains of Journey start through the speakers. He looked up, startled, at the dark room. Suddenly, a spot__light came on, illuminating one of the goal posts __in a dull __orange glow. His breath hitched, and a bolt of electricity shot through his stomach._

_Taylor bit her lip, swaying to the music. The football jersey barely hit the top of her thighs, and her bare legs stretched for miles below it. She __gripped the goal post, swinging around it, making the jersey flare out, dangerously close to exposing everything. __He swallowed thickly, unable to move__ as she slid down the pole, then back up.__ He felt like a caged animal, the sheer force of his _need_ to pounce on her making him incredibly frustrated, because he couldn't move an inch. __She look__ed at him with darkened, dilated__ eyes, __running__ her hand through her hair._

_"You wanna score, Ryan?"_

"Ryan?"

He almost jumped five feet off the ground, heart racing madly. "Marissa," he said shakily, trying not to look past her towards the goal-post-turned-stripper-pole.

"Who else would it be?" she tried to joke, but he didn't notice. "I'm done here for now, let's go." He nodded dumbly, following her, risking a glance over his shoulder to where Taylor no longer was.

* * *

He paced the pool house.

He had been so good, not thinking about her. No daydreaming, no fantasies for almost a month. Then all the sudden: this. Why? Because Summer had mentioned her today? Because of the Homecoming dance?

No.

He was just horny. He hadn't been laid since her – Marissa, it turned out, was a complete prude. She was alright with kissing and a little over-the-clothes touching, but nothing beyond that. It was a little frustrating. Hadn't she slept with Luke? What was the problem then? He needed a shower.

_Wanna get wet, Ryan?_

Ok. Maybe he'd skip the shower right now. Maybe he would just watch TV. He flipped it on, and watched as the crowd cheered on the football players.

_You w__anna score, Ryan?_

He hit the power button, shutting the TV off. Maybe he'd just read a book. Listen to music, read a book, he reasoned. There was no way that could be… distracting. He settled on his bed, and turned his IPod on. Journey blared in his ears, and he groaned. Apparently there was no getting away from this. He put his book down and closed his eyes.

Behind the lids, Taylor swayed and twirled, hair flying. He gave up trying to fight it, and slid his right hand into his pants with a groan.

* * *

Taylor sighed at her appearance. The dress looked good, she knew, but she didn't _feel_ good. She nodded to her mother, and went to take off the dress.

Her mother paid for it, while Taylor didn't really pay attention, staring at the linoleum floor. She really didn't want to go to this dance, but Hunter had insisted, saying that if she didn't go, she would look like an idiot. Her mother snapped at her that it was time to go, and she trudged along behind the woman, glaring at the bag in her hands. She tried to reason that everything would be fine. She was over him.

She ignored the fact that she chose a dress the exact same shade of blue as _his_ eyes.

* * *

Marissa twirled, showing off for him. He nodded, not really caring. She grinned, seeming not to notice his indifference. "Ok, I'll get this one. Sum, you ready?" The other girl came out of the changing room, nodding.

"Got the perfect dress. Cohen won't know what hit him," she grinned.

"I'm pretty sure Cohen doesn't know what hits him every time he sees you," Ryan commented lazily, standing up.

"Aw, Chino. That was actually kind of sweet," Summer smiled as Marissa went into the changing room. Once she was in, Summer's face fell, and she dragged Ryan far away from the stall. "Ok, Chino, that was actually kind of sweet. What's wrong with you?"

"What?" he finally joined the conversation.

"You don't say sweet things," she accused. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I guess I'm just a little more relaxed today…"

She held up a hand. "Ew. I don't know what that means, and I don't _want_ to know. But I'm glad you're better. It's nice to see you not so… depressed." She shot him an understanding look, which he pretended not to notice.

* * *

"Holy Moses," Seth breathed as Summer glided down the stairs. She ducked her head, hiding a smile.

Off to the side, Marissa and Ryan waited. He folded his arms over himself while she fixed her hair in her compact mirror.

* * *

"Have fun," Veronica called knowingly. Taylor completely missed the nod her mother gave to her date, and the understanding look back.

"You look amazing," Hunter whispered. She smiled politely at him, getting into the car. He shut the door behind her, and ran to the driver's side, getting in and starting it up.

She didn't feel amazing. She felt nervous and sick. The car rumbled to life beneath her, and she steeled herself for the horrifying night ahead.

_

* * *

_

When the saga continues: cat fights, fist fights, and letting him in...

_Review, please! It's my crack._


	7. Chapter 7

_Now, I must admit that __this, along with the next chapter, are__ my favorites in the bunch. Maybe it's because of the fights… __yay_

_Enjoy! Review!_

* * *

"Wow," Taylor glanced around the gymnasium. "This is so tacky."

Hunter shrugged, leading her further inside. Students milled around, in various states of formality. Some couples wore long gowns and full tuxedos, others skirts and slacks. Taylor was glad she chose the middle road – a shorter dress that still looked elegant. She found him immediately, looking better than anyone else in his sports coat and slacks. Marissa was on his arm, gown glittering white. Seth and Summer played it down, Summer in a shorter dress like the one Taylor was wearing. In the group, Marissa stuck out like a – elegantly dressed – sore thumb.

* * *

They danced, but Ryan wasn't really all there. He spun Marissa around obligingly, surprisingly coordinated in his lack of focus.

Seth and Summer watched him, shaking their heads sadly, but he didn't notice. "We've got to do something, Cohen," Summer whispered to her date.

"I know, but what? If we confront Ryan, he'll just be even weirder and more distant than he is now," he whispered back, smiling and waving when Ryan caught his eye. Ryan waved back warily, then turned back to Marissa.

"And I don't want to hurt Coop, but he's so unhappy," Summer pouted.

"Are we sure he's unhappy?" Seth asked. "I mean, I know I've only known the guy for about four months, but he's always been a little broody. Plus, he and Marissa were almost something before school started."

Summer furrowed her brow in concentration.

* * *

"Ryan. Marissa," Taylor's heart pounded furiously. She had been going for a drink, and it seemed the other couple had the same idea. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with the girl. The last she she needed was Ryan seeing her humiliated by his _new_ girlfriend.

"Taylor," Marissa's tone was cold, and she slid her gaze over the other girl appraisingly. Ryan said nothing.

"Marissa and Ryan," Hunter came up behind his date. "I'm Hunter," he stuck his hand towards Ryan, who made no move to return the gesture. "Right. Well, it's nice to meet you, too." His arm slid around her waist, and she wanted to roll her eyes at his ridiculous possessiveness. Well, if they were going to do this, she'd better just try and be polite.

"We were just getting drinks," she tried to laugh, and turned towards the refreshment table, reaching for the ladle and gathering up the red liquid. "Marissa, I love what you've done with the place," she tried to make her voice sound cheerful.

"Yeah. The social committee's been running really well lately," the girl replied, folding her arms. Taylor nodded, stiffening, giving up all pretenses of social grace. If Marissa wasn't going to try, neither would she.

"_Probably cause everyone's too afraid of you_," she muttered to the table.

"Excuse me?" Marissa's voice was loud and demanding.

"I said it's probably because everyone's too afraid of you to say anything about these tacky decorations," Taylor sighed, looking back up at the girl, who gasped indignantly.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Ryan?" she turned to her boyfriend, looking for help. He shrugged, looking at the floor. "Why are you even here?" Marissa was more upset now at his lack of participation. "I can't believe you dared to show your face at a social committee event."

"Well, apparently you forgot to turn in the paperwork for the restraining order," Taylor handed a drink to Hunter, and began pouring one for herself. Her heart was beating so fast, she was sure she would drop dead at any second.

"I thought it was just common knowledge that annoying whores weren't invited," Marissa shot back, crossing her arms. Taylor's shaking hand almost dropped her cup. Before she could come back with a response, Hunter stepped forward.

"Ok, ladies, let's put away the claws." He pulled Taylor closer to him. "Now, why don't we all just go our separate ways, and we never have to speak to each other again."

"Fine with me," Marissa spat.

"So I never have to speak to Marissa again?" Taylor asked her date innocently. "I didn't know that was an option, or I would have chosen it years ago." Hunter snorted.

"Look, bitch. Just stay out of my way," Marissa slanted her eyes. "And don't think I haven't noticed the color of your dress."

Ryan's head snapped up, and he looked at her for the first time. She blushed heavily under his gaze. Marissa seemed to realize her mistake, and looped her arm through Ryan's, gripping it tightly. Hunter noticed as well, pulling Taylor towards the dance floor, Ryan's eyes following her the entire time.

* * *

She stood in front of the mirror, shaking slightly. She tried convinced herself it was because of the fight, not because of the way Ryan had looked at her. She wouldn't get her hopes up. The door opened, letting sounds from the party drift through.

"Taylor, hey," Summer's voice called softly, and she stood nervously in the entrance for a few seconds.

"Hey Summer," she smiled at the girl through the mirror.

"Look, I'm sorry about ignoring you for the past month…"

"It's ok," Taylor reapplied her lipstick. "I know it's awkward to be stuck in the middle of a fight. And you've been friends with Marissa since you were… born. And Seth's the same way. You two have no allegiance to me."

Summer threw her purse onto the counter. "But it shouldn't have to be like that. This sucks," she took out her own make-up and started reapplying.

"Well, the fact that you feel that way makes me happy," the honey blonde smiled. "I think if we had the chance, we could be friends."

"I think so too," Summer whispered.

* * *

"Great," Hunter groaned when Ryan accidentally bumped into him, and the two boys stared at each other.

"Hey, sorry," Ryan muttered. They stood awkwardly.

"Look, we don't have to be weird," Hunter offered. Ryan shrugged. "Or we can." He paused for a moment. "Are you still into her?"

Ryan stiffened, crossing his arms. "We're not dating anymore."

"That's not what I asked," Hunter smiled. "Which means you are. It's fine," he held his hands out, "cause I'm pretty sure she's still into you. But you're with Marissa."

"And you're with Taylor," Ryan muttered, obviously uncomfortable. He glanced around the gym, making sure Marissa couldn't see him talking to the 'enemy'.

"Not yet," Hunter sighed, straightening his jacket. "We're not official, and she barely lets me kiss her." He glanced over at the other boy, grinning. "But I'm pretty sure she'll let me in tonight."

People gasped and screamed as Ryan's fist threw Hunter to the floor. He got up and tackled blonde boy, slamming against a group of people, who fell down with them.

* * *

"What the…" Summer murmured when she heard the scream. Taylor looked up, and the two girls ran out of the bathroom and down the hall. "Oh no," she groaned. Ryan and Hunter were beating each other on the floor of the gymnasium, surrounded by a mob of cheering students. She glanced over at Taylor, whose eyes were closed in horror.

Seth waded into the fight, dodging a fist and dragging Ryan out. Another boy helped, pulling Hunter away.

"Fucking let me go, Seth," Ryan was yelling, staring dead at Hunter. The other boy was also trying to escape his captor.

"Stop." Taylor's voice cut over the crowd, and the two boys paused as she stepped towards them. "You've got to be kidding me," she hissed, looking between them.

Teachers arrived on the scene, pulling the two fighters out of the gym. Taylor put a hand on her forehead as the assembled students stared at her. Summer came up, putting her arm protectively around the taller girl's shoulders.

"Come on," she whispered, ignoring Marissa's glare. Seth nodded encouragingly at his girlfriend, coming to Taylor's other side.

* * *

The wait outside the principal's office was excruciating. Summer and Seth sat in the middle, Taylor on one side, Marissa on the other. Finally the door opened, and Ryan and Hunter walked out. The latter immediately walked over to Taylor, grabbing her elbow and hauling her off the chair.

"Let's go," he didn't even look at the others. Taylor threw a look over her shoulder at Summer and Seth, and caught the way Ryan tensed up. He looked ready to throw another punch.

"No," she pulled away from him and turned back to the group. "I want to know what happened." The two boys were silent. "Don't," she warned, "you both at least owe me this." More silence. "Just… who threw the first punch?"

"He did," Hunter spoke up, glaring at Ryan through his good eye. The other was beginning to puff up.

"I should've figured," Taylor sighed, covering her eyes with her hand, a headache beginning to form. She dropped her hand after a few seconds, and stormed over to him. "We're talking," she commanded, grabbing his shirt and dragging him towards an empty classroom.

"Hey!" Marissa moved forward, catching Taylor's arm and pulling her off. "That's _my_ boyfriend, whore."

"Marissa…" Summer interjected, earning a glare from the girl.

"Stay out of this, Sum."

"Don't talk to her like that," Seth threw an arm around his date, pulling her close. She leaned into him, wanting to cry.

"Marissa, I want to talk to Ryan, alone." Taylor stared the girl down.

"Like that's happening," Marissa crossed her arms defensively. "Ryan, let's go."

He hesitated, then turned and walked towards the empty classroom. Taylor resisted the urge to smile, then followed him, ignoring Marissa's indignant protests.

* * *

"Are you going to tell me?" she asked. He shrugged, thrusting his hands into his pockets. She sighed, "I feel like I don't even know you anymore."

"Well, we haven't talked in a month."

"It's more than that. Newport's changed you. You seem… I don't know. Angrier. Back in Chino, you were you were so… laid back. What happened to that? Was it me?"

"No," his shoulders slumped, and she saw, for the first time in a month, the real Ryan emerge. "I've always been angry. You just… bring it out in me." He looked up, trying to smile.

She laughed. "And the jealousy? Do I inspire that too?"

"Oh yeah. But I was like that back in Chino, too. You should've seen me when Trey used to hit on you…"

"Oh God, I forgot about Trey. How is he?" she asked, suddenly serious.

"He's ok, I guess. As ok as you can be in prison…"

"Have you heard from your mom?" He shook his head, and she sighed, walking up to him. Her hand found its way to his arm, and he tensed up a bit. "I guess it's just as well. You're better off with the Cohens. How are they?"

"They're good."

She sighed, the awkwardness increasing. "Look, why don't we get to the point, cause if we take any longer, Marissa might come in. Why did you punch him?" He was silent. "You know you want to tell me," she gave him a look, and he cringed.

"He… said something about you 'letting him in' tonight," his gaze went to the wall, which he seemed to find incredibly interesting all the sudden.

"Ryan, you have no right to be protective over me," she told him, suddenly tired, suddenly wanting all of this to just be over. "If I want to sleep with him, I will." He tensed up, and she unconsciously took a step back.

"Are you going to?" his voice was low, and he spoke to the wall.

She paused for a minute, thinking. "That's really none of your business," she turned from him, making for the door. When her hand touched the doorknob, she paused, "but I might, because I need to find some way to get over you."

She was halfway down the hall when she heard a crash from the classroom where Ryan still was.

_

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When we rejoin our heroes: one hundred percent, nausea, and the return of Veronica Townsend

_Review, because it makes me happy.__ You know you want to…_


	8. Chapter 8

_I guess I should apologize for the teaser last time. Apparently people saw 'one hundred percent' and 'nausea', and got 'pregnant' out of it. __Um.__ No. Sorry! __Furthest thing from my mind._

_Also, this is one of my favorite chapters, so I hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

Ryan ignored Marissa's glare as he drove home.

"I can't believe you did that," her voice was accusing. "I asked you not to go with her, and you went anyway."

"It's because I'm not your slave, Marissa," he growled.

"No, but apparently you're Taylor's."

The car slowed as he pulled into her driveway. "Look, just drop it, ok? I'm dating you, isn't that enough?"

"No," her voice rose, and he could hear she was on the verge of tears. His eyes closed in annoyance – she pulled this a lot. "Not if your heart isn't in this one hundred percent."

He snorted, breaking into uncontrolled laughter. She was looking at him, horrified. "Marissa, what the hell do you think I've been doing this whole time? Did you really think this was my 'one hundred percent'?"

"Let me guess, you've been caught up on _her_ the whole time," she crossed her arms, a tear trickling down her face. She was really good at this game.

"I told you that. On our first date, I told you I was still hung up on her. You told me it didn't matter, that we could try and make this work. Well, news flash: this isn't working." His hands were gripping the steering wheel, willing her to just get out of the car. She didn't.

* * *

"Want a drink?" he asked coolly, walking into the kitchen. She nodded distractedly, and accepted the glass when he pressed it into her hand. The harsh sting of alcohol was bitter in her throat, but she gulped it down anyway. He laughed, "want another one?" She nodded again, accepting a second. "You wanna come upstairs? You know, see my room?" She nodded again, draining her glass before following him.

"It hasn't changed much," she noted, eyes sweeping around the place.

"Yeah, well, it's been less than a year since we broke up."

She sat on his bed dumbly. He was right. Not even a year. She had dated Hunter for four months. She had only _known_ Ryan for six, and only dated him for a grand total of one and a half – if you could count their activities in Chino 'dating'. Her chest tightened painfully.

It made more sense to be with Hunter. He had grown up like her, their parents ran in the same circle. Plus, he was in all the same clubs as she was. He was smart, and nice, and funny sometimes.

"You ok?" he sat on the bed next to her. She nodded.

* * *

Ryan ignored the speedometer.

Taylor hadn't answered her cell phone – it went straight to voicemail. He kept hearing it over and over again.

_This is Taylor, leave a message._

He barely even knew where she lived. He had dug an old piece of paper with her address scribbled on it out of his bedside drawer, where he had shoved it two months ago. Thank God Sandy's car had GPS. _Turn left._ He followed the GPS lady's instructions, cutting a quick left and into the gated community.

He knew it was her house before the GPS even told him. Her car was parked in the drive, and he pulled in behind it, jumping out as soon as the motor was cut. The doorbell sounded somewhere inside, and an old Spanish woman answered the door.

"Hi," he started, suddenly unsure. "Is Taylor here?"

"Taylor? No. Not here."

"Do you know where she is?" he panicked. Even if Hunter had driven incredibly slowly, Taylor should be here by now.

"Catalina," a sharp voice called from the entryway. "Who is it?"

"Someone for Miss Townsend," Catalina stepped out of the way as a woman – Taylor's mother – came forward.

"Who are you?" she didn't seem terribly interested.

"Hi, I'm Ryan. Atwood. Ryan Atwood. We've never met, but…"

"Right. You're the boy she was seeing for a while, right? The one who cheated on her?" Veronica didn't seem upset. In fact, she smirked a little.

"Yeah. Wait, no. I didn't cheat on her, I… is she here?" he was confused, and upset, and anger was flooding through him.

"No," Veronica sighed. "I figured she was still at the dance. She must be with Hunter." She inspected her nails, then him. "You know Hunter, right? He's head of the debate team and on the dean's list."

"Yeah. I know Hunter," his fists clenched, and he tried to control himself. It wouldn't do any good to yell at the woman.

"His parents are good friends of mine," she noted idly, looking at him to see his reaction.

"That's great. Do you know where they live?" he asked politely through clenched teeth, heart thumping madly in his chest.

The woman sighed. "I do, but I'm not telling you. Taylor's finally made a respectable decision, and I'm not letting you ruin it."

"Look, Ms. Townsend, I get that you don't like me, but shouldn't your daughter have all the… facts before she makes up her mind?" he was almost shaking from trying not to punch something. Or maybe it was fear, he couldn't tell anymore. All he knew was that his chances of reaching her before she... did something stupid... were slipping away.

"My daughter makes stupid decisions, based on feelings rather than what's good for her future. I'm looking out for her," she put a hand to her chest, feigning care. "I just want what's best for her."

He was suddenly, painfully, aware of the bruises that must already be showing on his face, and the way his hair was still a mess. Looking up, he saw that there was no sympathy in the woman's eyes, just cold amusement.

"It was nice meeting you," his voice was defeated, shoulders slumping. She smiled and returned the pleasantry, shutting the door in his face.

He trudged back to the car, numbly dialing her number one last time.

_This is Taylor, leave a message._

* * *

"You sure about this?" Hunter broke off the kiss, looking down at her. She nodded resolutely. "Ok. Um, let me grab a condom," he got off the bed, "they're in the bathroom." He stumbled out the door.

Taylor picked up her cell phone with shaking hands, looking at the display. She had a voicemail, so she hit the call button to listen to it.

_You have one new voicemail. _Her phone blared at her. She rolled her eyes, and pressed the appropriate button to listen to it. She froze at how broken he sounded.

_"Don't do it."_

* * *

He stared up at the white expanse of ceiling, resisting the urge to throw up. He couldn't believe how bad he had fucking blown it.

* * *

Hunter reentered the room, box of condoms in hand, and found Taylor staring at her phone. "You ok?"

She looked up at him. "Yeah."

He shrugged, figuring she would have told him if her decision had changed. He kissed her again – she tasted like alcohol - and he was glad he'd loaded her up. A little bit of liquid courage never hurt.

* * *

He started as a knock rang through the pool house. "Come in," he called, hoping desperately that it wasn't Marissa. Hoping desperately that somehow, Taylor had gotten his message, and come to see him.

"Hey," the timid voice sounded from the door.

"Hey."

"I just came to see how you were," Seth stepped into the room, sitting on the chair.

"Great. Marissa and I broke up." Seth nodded. "You don't seem too surprised."

"Truthfully? We were surprised you didn't do it sooner," Seth sagged back into the chair. "Do you know how much money I lost to Summer betting on when you'd do it? And the one night, _the one night,_ I bet _against_ you two breaking up, you do. Man, Summer's never gonna let that go."

Ryan gave a halfhearted smile. "I'm glad some good came out of this," he laughed, ducking the pillow Seth threw at him.

"So where's Taylor?" the darker boy asked warily.

"With Hunter," Ryan's stomach heaved, but he pushed it back.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

* * *

Taylor tiptoed carefully to her car, not wanting Hunter's parents to hear her leaving. She felt awful: dirty and ashamed. She hated the way everything turned out. Life shouldn't be this complicated.

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Holy Previews, Batman! Next up: r_idiculousness, recon, and one frightened freshman_

_Review!_


	9. Chapter 9

_I won't write a long AN, so just get on with the reading!_

* * *

Marissa was back with Luke. Ryan laughed at how ridiculous their whole relationship had been. He had just dumped her two days ago, and she was already back with Luke. No, he didn't feel used at all.

The weekend had been one long, horrible battle with his stomach. Every time he thought about… no. He couldn't think of it now, because he'd have the urge to throw up again. He stared at the floor as he walked through the school. That way, if he passed her in the hall, he wouldn't see her. Or Hunter. Anger flared over his nausea.

"Hey," Summer sat next to him on the couch. "How are you feeling?"

"Um. Like an idiot?" She didn't laugh. Instead, she patted his arm sympathetically, which was worse.

"You'll win her back," she gripped his hand.

"I don't want Marissa back," he told her, not wanting to have this conversation.

"Well, good to know, but I meant Taylor." His surprise must have shown on his face, because she laughed at him. "Please, everyone knew you and Marissa didn't go well together. All that drama? But don't worry. Taylor will come around."

"I'm not so sure," the bile was rising in his throat. "She's 'officially' with Hunter now."

"How do you know that?"

"Because she said she was gonna sleep with him after Homecoming." He needed to get to a bathroom, or a trashcan. Summer was silent.

* * *

Taylor walked through the halls, ignoring the stares she got. Word must be out.

"Taylor," Seth Cohen ran over to her, slowing down to walk next to her.

"Hey," she smiled as best she could. "Doing some recon?"

"What?" he laughed nervously. "No."

She rolled her eyes. "You haven't talked to me in over a month, now all the sudden we're friends? You're snooping."

"I swear, Ryan didn't…"

"I was talking about Summer," she interrupted.

"Oh. Yeah. Summer totally sent me. But could you _not_ tell her I told you, cause she'd kill me…"

"Scouts honor," she told him, smiling. "Now, what do you need to know?"

"Oh, she wants to know if you and Hunter… you know." She raised an eyebrow. "You know…" she stayed silent. "Are you going to make me say it?"

"Yes. It's your punishment for spying."

"Fine. She wants to know if you boinked Hunter."

"Boinked?" Taylor giggled. "That's fascinating phrasing."

"Just answer the question so I can report back to Summer."

* * *

"Ryan." Summer sat down next to him. Students were filing in, and she only had a minute before the teacher would start class. "I have news."

"Can't it wait?" he glanced over at her, then up at the teacher, who was beginning to write on the board.

"You don't want to wait," she breathed. "They didn't."

"Who?" Ryan was getting tired of all the talking.

"Taylor and Hunter. She didn't sleep with him." Summer was beaming, searching his face for some emotion.

"Oh."

"That's it? '_Oh_'? That's the reaction?" She slumped back in her seat, disappointed. "Here I was thinking…"

"Sorry Summer, I have to go," he gathered his books distractedly, and began walking out of class.

"Mr. Atwood," the teacher called. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah. I don't feel good. I have to go to the nurse." The teacher shot him a skeptical look, but let him go, citing perfect attendance up to this point. Summer smiled to herself, crossing her arms smugly.

* * *

Taylor focused on the Japanese in front of her. She had figured that since she already knew Korean, Japanese would be easy. Apparently not. She didn't hear the door to the classroom open.

"Can I help you?" the study hall teacher asked, rubbing her forehead.

"Yeah. The dean needs to see Taylor Townsend," the frightened boy whispered. Taylor looked up, startled, at the freshman in the doorway. The teacher waved her off, knowing Taylor Townsend wouldn't intentionally skip.

"Why does she want to see me?" Taylor whispered once they were out in the hall. "Am I in trouble?"

The boy pointed at a classroom before running away in terror. Taylor went in, shaking from her nerves. She had no reason to be in trouble. Maybe it had something to do with the play. Maybe the dean didn't like some of her script revisions…

"Ryan." She halted, looking around the empty classroom like it was a trick. "What…" her voice trailed off. He wasn't looking at her. She stood awkwardly by the door, waiting for him to respond, but he never even acknowledged she was there. "Ok, well… I'm gonna go…"

"Marissa and I broke up."

"Oh?" her voice was flat.

"After Homecoming. She told me I needed to put 'one hundred percent' into our relationship, and I told her I wasn't up to it."

"Oh?"

"I went to your house. Your mom wouldn't tell me where Hunter lived."

"You met my mother?"

"Yeah. She wasn't too fond of me." Taylor nodded, processing everything. "She kept telling me how perfect Hunter was for you."

"Ah."

"Are you going to say anything?" he finally looked at her.

"I'm… not sure what to say," she stepped further into the classroom, sitting down on the teacher's desk.

"You didn't sleep with him."

"I see you talked to Summer."

"Ok, can we stop this whole banter thing?" he walked over to her.

"Fine. What do you want to do then?" she blushed a little at the way his gaze darkened.

"I want to know how you feel about me."

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Ryan, does it matter? You accused me of cheating on you, then got with Marissa while we were –technically broken up, yes – but still."

"Marissa and I didn't do anything. She kissed me, you walked in, and it was all very soap-opera. And this whole Hunter thing? It just… bothered me."

"No," she exhaled sarcastically. "And while the news about you not cheating on me makes me feel a little better…" she shrugged. "This is just too hard."

He moved to stand in front of her, resting his hands on her shoulders, looking desperate. "It's not too hard. Taylor, you have to realize I've never done this relationship thing before. All the girls in Chino? They were one night stands, I barely even remember their faces. Even Theresa was more like a 'friends with benefits' thing. So… knowing Hunter and you had this long lasting relationship bothered me. Because even though I've been with more people than you have, I never felt anything for them. Except you," he amended when she glared at him. He was relieved when her face broke into a small smile.

"Ryan," her hands fluttered over his stomach and her voice dropped to a whisper, "I never felt with Hunter half of what I felt with you."

"Oh."

She smiled, gazing up at him through her lashes. "Yeah. Oh."

"Well, see, I just feel stupid now," his right hand ran from its place on her shoulder to play with her hair.

"You're so stupid," she shook her head sadly, heart rate speeding up. He gripped the hair on the back of her head, forcing her to look at him.

"Hey," he growled in mock anger. She mewed, seeing his darkened eyes. He leaned forward.

"Ryan," she whispered, halting his progress. "Is this such a good idea? You just broke up with Marissa, I just… I'm not sure what I did with Hunter, but it's just all a little sudden." She watched multiple emotions flicker through his eyes, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

"Yeah. Too soon," his voice was rough, and he let her go, putting distance between them. "Too soon…"

"Ryan…"

"Are you sure it's too soon?" he stalked back to her, tangling his hand in her hair again. "Cause, see, I don't think so."

"Ryan," her voice was a little shaky, but amused. "Can we just take it slow? I mean, the first thing we did was sleep together – and yes, I started it – but I want to make sure that's not all our relationship was based off of."

She could hear the restraint in his voice. "Sure. But… how slow are we talking? Is it no sex period, or can we do everything but…"

"Taking it slow means we start off doing nothing at all, then build up to it." He looked disappointed. "But I promise, when we get there?" she leaned up, kissing the hollow below his ear, "I'll blow your mind."

Ryan barely registered her breathless laugh. His eyes were shut tightly, trying to control the whirlwind of emotions – first and foremost, lust – that raged through him. He wanted to tell her to screw going slow, and take her right there on the desk. But he didn't want to make her angry, so he let her slide off the desk and leave the classroom – saying something about calling him later.

He walked slowly to the back of the classroom, taking a seat in the last row. Resting his head against the desktop, he willed himself to calm down. He wasn't exactly sure what just happened. Were they back together officially? Was he on probation? Were they going to hide it?

He didn't care. All he knew was that he got to be near her again, got to touch her, got to hold her. It didn't matter what restrictions she put on their relationship, because he had her again. He smiled against the cold surface of the desk.

* * *

Taylor walked towards her classroom, hand pressed against her stomach. At the last second she made a u-turn, and dashed into the girl's bathroom. Supporting herself on the counter, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, watching the rush of emotions flicker across her eyes. It was a little overwhelming to be feeling so many things at once, especially since she had spent this past month pushing all those feelings away. There was excitement, first and foremost, but she remembered _that_ feeling all too well – it was the first thing to shoot through her every time Ryan came within twenty feet of her.

Then there was guilt – that it was going too fast, that she was getting back together with him too soon. Plus, she still felt awful for how she treated Hunter. She had led him on, led him to believe she would sleep with him, only to turn him down at the last second – and if she was completely honest with herself, it wasn't all because of Ryan's message. She had known from day one that she didn't want Hunter.

Hope was there, too, making her heart flutter wildly, making a smile rush to her face. She tried to suppress it, but it wouldn't go away. Hope bubbled in her chest, and she couldn't stop its progress. There was a part of her that told her to shut up and let herself be happy. But there was also another part…

Fear. And surprisingly, it wasn't because of gossip, or what people would think of her, or how Marissa was sure to try and destroy her. It was caused by Ryan, and that made her feel even worse. She was afraid that he would do something like this again, become too unsure of their relationship and let it crumble.

"Stop." Sometimes she had to talk to herself out loud, in order to _really_ get something to stick. "Just stop it," she told herself, looking her reflection square in the eye. This wasn't Ryan's fault – well, not fully. Yes, he had been stupid and insecure, jumping to unnecessary conclusions, but she had too. They were both at fault, and she just had to make sure that, in the future, if he freaked out, she would keep a level head.

_In the future,_ her mind repeated, and she couldn't help the heady rush that made her knees weak and her head spin.

_

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_

Do you all approve? Let me know! Next time: a shower_, confession__s__, and an unfamiliar feeling._

_Review!_


	10. Interlude

_Hello all! I wrote this interlude - also titled 'Damn Her' - because a lot of people left comments about Ryan having to take things slow. I'm pretty sure there were a couple mentions of cold showers… plus, the real chapter 10 jumped ahead three weeks, so it really didn't seem like 'going slow' in story time. So note that this is just an interlude, and my previews from last chapter have nothing to do with it._

_Enjoy!_

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**Interlude: _week 1_**

He swallowed thickly, looking down at the girl in front of him. She looked like he felt: nervous, breathless, excited, fearful. Slowly - _oh God, so slowly_ – he bent his head down, letting his mouth brush across hers, enjoying the sharp intake of breath from her. It was a sluggish kiss, unhurried, unrushed. He'd never kissed like this before; back in Chino there hadn't been time, and with _her_ he hadn't been able to restrain himself. This past month or so had taught him patience, taught him life without her. So she wanted it slow? Well, she was getting it slow.

"Ryan," she whimpered against his lips, leaning up to press herself more firmly into him, and he fought back the instinct to spin her around, bend her over, and take her right there on the edge of the sofa behind them. He pulled away from her, running his thumb over her bottom lip gently as he regained his control.

"Goodnight, Taylor," his voice was calm, he was glad to note – no hint of the emotions boiling just under the surface of his skin. He was relieved to see that she was just as riled up as he was – her eyes glazed over and her breathing heavy. She looked so beautiful, and he knew that if he wanted to, he could have her. She wouldn't stop him – he knew her well enough to realize that look on her face. But he took another step back - wanting to take a few more seconds to look at her - before turning and walking out the door. Somehow he made it to his car without giving in to the urge to run back to where he knew she would still be standing.

How had he made it through the entire movie with her sitting next to him on the couch? With her perfume swirling around him, her warm body resting against his? How had he managed? He knew the answer. That whole time – what she called their 'date', but what he called 'sitting on her couch and watching a movie while her mom was out' – he had been thinking of things to turn him off.

It had started with thinking about his arrest, getting into that car with Trey. The memory had worked – for about thirty-eight seconds – before the thought of Trey had turned to thoughts of Chino, had turned to thoughts of home, had turned to thoughts of fucking her on his bed, had turned to the memory of her body beneath him, her moans filling the room.

So he had switched tactics: baseball, the old classic. Think of baseball. That wasn't sexy. Baseball. Innings, pitchers, bases. First base… second base, third base, home, Taylor, Taylor, Taylor, writhing, moaning, screaming below him.

He gripped the steering wheel painfully, clearing his mind before starting the car. The movie had been one long battle with his brain, switching topics constantly, trying to think of something that didn't lead back to… _that_. He knew that a long night of jerking off and cold showers awaited him.

_Damn her_.

_

* * *

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**Interlude: week 2**

_Stop!_ his mind screamed at him. _Stop, stop, stop, stop…_ but his body wouldn't react. The girl under him ran her hands up his shoulderblades, coming to rest on the back of his neck, fingers swirling against the little hairs there, and any thoughts of stopping flew out of his mind.

He had never really thought anything of making out. It was really just a way to pass the time before, back in Chino. Sure, it was nice and all – a warm body under yours, the delicious friction – but it had always been a precursor, the thing that came before the good part. He had never really just kissed a girl for the sake of kissing her for any extended period of time.

This past week had been filled with exactly that. After their 'first kiss' a week ago – on that tension filled 'first date' – they had moved to making out. She would sneak into the pool house late at night – making sure no one could see her, because, oh, has he mentioned, this whole thing is a secret? So she would sneak in, and she would lay on his bed, and they would kiss for what seemed like hours on end. He had been ok with it at first – having finally found something that completely turned him off: Seth. He knew it was probably weird, and very likely disturbingly wrong, to be thinking about his adoptive brother while his tongue was inside his girlfriends mouth, but it was the only thing that worked. The minute Taylor's little sighs began to get him hard, all he had to do was flash back to any conversation with Seth – about video games, or comics, or Summer – and suddenly the sexual tension would go away.

But right now even that wasn't working. It was the fifth night in a row Taylor had stealthed her way in, and he was getting too worked up. His mind screamed at him to stop, but he couldn't make himself, because she was so warm beneath him, so invitingly soft. He pressed her down further into the mattress, and she let out a contented sigh against his lips, arching up into him in a way that was fantastic and horrible at the same time. Fantastic because she was grinding her hips into his, and horrible because he knew it couldn't go further. Yet his hand drifted down to her waist, holding her tightly against him, digging his fingers into her skin. _STOP._

He flung himself off her, using every muscle in his body to propel himself far away from the bed. He was across the room in a split second, hands gripping the back of the chair painfully tight. "I guess I should go," she sat up shakily, pressing a hand to her heart. He nodded, not trusting that his voice wouldn't crack. Her gaze raked up and down his body, making him – and especially one specific part of him – stiffen up. "Right... go..." She made no move to do so, eyes finally coming to lock with his.

"Taylor-" oh, he sounded so pathetic. His voice was pleading, and he looked from her to the door, begging her silently to leave before he violated her 'taking it slow' policy. Before he violated _her_.

God, did he want to violate her.

Much to his relief – and utter disappointment – she slid off the bed, slipping her shoes on and standing on trembling legs, making sure she was stable before grabbing her purse of the bedside table.

"Bye, Ryan," she finally tore her gaze from him, stumbling out the door and down to the street, where she had parked some distance away. The minute she was gone he stumbled to the bathroom, twisting the knob in the shower forcefully, and pulling his clothes off. Stepping into the shower, he hissed in pain as the ice-cold water hit his body, sending shivers down his spine and doing nothing to help his predicament.

_Damn her_.

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I was _gonna__ do another one of the fantasy sequences, but… oh well. Same previews go for next chapter: a shower, confessions, and an unfamiliar feeling._


	11. Interlude II

_Ok, this is another interlude (called 'Damn Him', __cause__ it's from Taylor's POV). So please, kindly ignore the previews from the past 2 chapters._

_This is for O__Ry__. Go blame her for another delay before the good stuff._

_And thanks to all my reviewers! Over 100! yay! I heart you all._

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Interlude: week 1

She watched him leave, watched him glance over his shoulder, pausing slightly at the door, before continuing on out of view. Her mind – hell, her entire body – screamed to run after him, to catch him and drag him back in here. But she reminded herself that this was a first date, and good girls didn't do _that_ on first dates.

_It's not even a real first date_, that snarky voice in her head whispered, making her take three steps forward before she caught herself on the doorframe. He was sitting in his car, hands gripping the steering wheel, eyes shut tight, head hanging. She could tell, even from this distance, that all of the muscles in his body were rigid, and it made her hot. The dull ache that had been throbbing in her belly all night suddenly flared, making her heart flutter and her palm press to her abdomen.

How had she made it through the night – that entire God-awful time laying on the couch – without jumping him? Without just… pressing him back into the sofa and riding him right there in the living room? His hand had stayed in place, determinedly attached to her hip, not moving a single inch the whole time. Then the movie had been over, the black of the credits screen bringing them crashing into awkward reality. There had been stuttered words, humorless laughs, nervous movements, until he had kissed her. He had kissed her, and her entire body went into overdrive.

She hadn't kissed him in so long. This was how they should torture people, she thought. Let them know what it was like to be with Ryan Atwood, and then take it away. It wasn't fair that she hadn't kissed him, hadn't felt his arms around her in over a month. It wasn't fair that he broke off the kiss and left her standing in the foyer. _Go after him,_ that sly voice called, _what could it hurt?_

Only the roar of his car's engine made her body freeze, and she watched him drive off. She was thankful, to be honest, because God knows she had terrible self control. If he hadn't left at that second, she would have ended up on her back in the backseat of his car. That's not what they needed right now. It's not what she needed, and it's not what he needed. They needed to build trust, to build a relationship. _He's so built_. She closed her eyes tightly, pushing that voice into the back of her mind. This whole 'taking it slow' thing was going to be harder than she thought.

_Damn him_.

_

* * *

_

**Interlude: week 2**

Why was she doing this again? The door was unlocked, and she let herself in, glancing at the light that flooded out from under the bathroom door. Her heart skipped at least five or six beats. Why was she doing this? _Again?_ She was just torturing herself, she knew, coming here every night. She set her purse on the bedside table, slipped off her shoes, and sunk onto the bed. He would be out any second, looking broody and expressionless and oh so gorgeous. She should leave, it would be easier for both of them. Instead, she laid down, closing her eyes as her head hit the pillow.

Every night she came, it was harder to leave. Every night his kisses were harder, more desperate. Every night she crept closer and closer to that edge – the point where she wouldn't care anymore about consequences and their need for a normal relationship. Because, let's face it, this relationship has been anything but normal. A rich trust-fund baby runs away from her home, and finds romance in a scruffy loner from the wrong side of the tracks. Then he's taken in by a wealthy family, and there's some drama, but it's all too 80's romantic comedy for her tastes. And if their relationship was like a movie, then their sex was straight out of a porno.

Oh God, she had to leave. _Now._

She was just about to get up when the bathroom door opened, and he walked out, shirtless, sweatpants hanging low, and she forgot all about leaving. He wasn't surprised to see her. In fact, he just walked over to her, not saying a word as he crawled over her, letting his weight press her down into the mattress. His lips met hers, and she knew why she kept coming back. Ryan Atwood was like a drug, and she needed her fix.

So she let him run his hands over her, let him lick and bite at her lips, let him press himself between her legs. She let out a shaky cry against his mouth as his hips began to slowly, gently, rock against hers, letting her know full well how into this he was. She ran her hands up his shoulder blades, loving the way his muscles moved under his skin, and coming to rest on his neck, pressing him more urgently against her lips.

Then suddenly she was alone, weightless, cold, and he was on the other side of the room, leaning forcefully against the back of the chair. _Right_, her mind spoke up. "I guess I should go," she sat up, pressing a hand to her chest, trying to make sure her heart didn't burst through her ribcage. And she would have gotten up, if she hadn't noticed the way his entire body was on edge, making the muscles in his stomach flutter and spasm. She wanted to go over there and lick them… her eyes met his, and she saw how hard he was trying. "Right… go…" Any minute now, she was going to do it. But whether 'it' was leave, or pounce on him, she had no idea.

"Taylor," he choked out, and she was flooded with guilt. He was doing this for her. This was _her_ idea, and she was just making it harder for him. Her eyes flicked down to his crotch. _Much_ harder for him. So she sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on her heels, before standing up. She almost fell over.

How did he do this to her? Make her so weak, make her entire body do things she didn't want it to? Grabbing her purse, she ran out of there, needing to get away from him. The cool night air helped, and she was almost glad of the long walk to her car – it would calm her down before having to drive. She wasn't exactly sure how much longer she could last.

_Damn him_.

_

* * *

_

Ok, I swear, next time it's the real chapter.

_Seriously.__ So, the previews, one last time (promise!): a shower, confes__sions, and an unfamiliar feeling._

_Review, damnit! If I can't have Ryan Atwood as a drug, I should be able to get reviews at the very least._


	12. Chapter 10

_Oh, Lord, this chapter was hard to write. Not the first parts or so, but that last little bit. So I hope it's satisfactory…__ Thanks to all of you who reviewed 'In Bloom' and gave me support for this chapter (it really helped with the writer__s block!)_

_I guess I should warn you that this is the last chapter._

_I hope you all e__njoy!_

* * *

He let out a groan of disappointment as she slid out of his arms, heading for the door. "Don't go," he grabbed at her wrist, pulling her back so that she was flush against his body.

"Ryan," she breathed, tilting her head back so he could access her neck, "we _have_ to go. People will start to get suspicious."

"So? Let them. I don't care; this whole sneaking around thing was your idea." He stared at her, gaze dark, and she wavered.

"Fine, we can go out there and tell everyone we're back together. Then, you can spend the rest of the night explaining to my mother why you'll be a great husband for me." He paused, eyes going wide.

"You know," he pushed her towards the door, "this sneaking around thing _is_ kind of hot." She shook her head at him, breaking into a smile.

* * *

"Taylor, your ass looks huge in that dress," her mother sighed. "Why did you break up with Hunter? Is it because of that boy the Cohens adopted? Dear, he's poor. You don't want to date a poor person."

"We're not dating, mother," Taylor forced her face to remain calm, resisting the urge to grin. Even her mother's acidic words couldn't ruin her mood. Taking a surreptitious glance over to where the Cohens stood, her stomach lurched when she found that Ryan's gaze was locked on her, and he didn't seem to care who saw it. She flushed under the intensity of his stare, heat pooling in her belly.

"Well, he doesn't seem to get the picture," Veronica muttered, noticing. "Tell him to find some other girl to stalk."

"He's not stalking me, mother. He just happens to be looking over here."

"For a half an hour?" Veronica glared at the boy, who took no notice. Taylor tried to motion for him to stop staring, but he didn't notice that either. Or he didn't care. In fact, he was coming towards them… she began to panic.

"Ms. Townsend," he extended his hand to the clearly startled woman. She took it disdainfully. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior the last time we met. I… wasn't in the right state of mind," he flashed Taylor a smile, but she couldn't smile back. Her heart was racing, mind going mach5, trying to come up with a plan to stop this train wreck.

"Clearly," Veronica sniffed.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm dating your daughter," he slipped an arm around Taylor's waist. _Oh God_, her inner voice cried, and it sounded an awful lot like a frightened little girl - the same voice that asked her why mommy didn't love her. Why was he doing this? Her mother was going to freak. Oh, _God_, her mother was going to _freak_.

"Oh?" Veronica raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "What are your intentions with her?"

"Mother!" This wasn't good. S_o not good_… Her mother was going to say something horrible, or forbid her from seeing him…

"Well," he ignored her outburst, ignored her discomfort, holding the older woman's gaze with confidence, "considering we're only sophomores, there aren't too many plans in the works. But I'm quite taken with her."

"I see." She looked him up and down appraisingly, then rolled her eyes. "Just… don't get pregnant," she snapped at her daughter before walking away.

She stood silent for a few seconds, processing this information. Her mother hadn't forbid this. She hadn't made a huge scene. _I'm quite taken with __he__r. _She couldn't stop thegrin that lit up her face as she turned to look up at him. "Wow," she wrapped her arms around his neck, beginning to sway with the music. "That was very brave," she whispered breathlessly.

"I thought so," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her in full view of the entire Newport society.

* * *

"So," Ryan started casually, not looking over at her, "are we past the 'just kissing' faze yet, cause it's been a couple weeks?"

She smiled widely, watching the houses roll by. "Well, after tonight's little display, I'd say we just jumped a level." Ryan's hands tightened on the wheel, and he pressed the gas pedal down to the floor.

* * *

This was the best shower _ever_, he decided. The hot water hit him, but it did nothing to relax his tight muscles. Taylor's soap-slicked hand wrapped around him, and he groaned, letting his head fall back against the cold tile. He felt her tongue press against his collarbone, lapping up the drops of water that collected in the hollow there.

"Fuck, Taylor," he breathed, pushing his hips outward. She nipped at his skin, laughing. "God, I missed this."

"Really?" she asked coyly, gazing up at him through her lashes and tightening her hand. He nodded, opening his eyes slightly to look at her, steam and desire making his vision blur. He remembered his first fantasy about her, when she was in the shower. She looked like that now, wet hair falling over her shoulders, making rivulets of water run over her skin.

"You look amazing," he groaned, brushing a strand of hair off her face. A look of pure gratitude flashed in her eyes, and she fell to her knees in front of him. "I think you're trying to kill me," he mumbled, hips bucking wildly as she closed her lips around him, sucking him off energetically. She nodded, humming a response, and he shuddered at the sensation.

He couldn't focus on anything except the cold tile on his back and Taylor's tongue on his dick. He couldn't believe he ever thought he could handle not being with her. She was amazing, and not just because of her – very talented – mouth. "Jesus," he thrust his hips forward as she swallowed around him. He realized he was moaning uncontrollably, tangling her hair in his fingers. He should be gentler with her, he knew, but he couldn't get his body under control. He couldn't stop the flow of words coming out of his mouth.

"God, Taylor, I love you," he came, spurting into the back of her throat, electric fire shooting through all of his nerve endings. She choked, pulling away and falling backwards. His whole body was shaking, and he had to force his knees to lock, or he'd fall. It wasn't until Taylor half stumbled, half fell out of the shower that he realized what had happened. "Shit," he grunted, turning the water off and following her out.

She was in the bedroom part of the pool house, pacing back and forth. "Taylor." She looked at him, terrified. He threw her a towel, which she caught, and wrapped around herself. He figured this conversation would be better if they weren't naked. "Look, what I said…"

"You said you loved me," she sounded like she didn't believe it. He wondered if he should deny it. Instead, he pulled her to sit on the bed with him.

"Yeah, I did."

"Oh my God," she sounded hysterical, and she stood up, pacing again.

"I'm sorry," his words broke, voice cracking in panic. Fear rushed through chest, nausea making his stomach clench. "I didn't mean to upset you…"

"Ryan!" her voice rose an octave, "you told me you loved me while I was blowing you in your shower!"

"I know, not the most romantic way ever," she gave a short, hysterical, laugh, "but it just… came out. Ok, bad wording. I… I wasn't thinking straight, and I just said it."

"So you didn't mean it?" she looked at him wildly.

"No! I mean, yes, I did. I just didn't mean to… tell you like that," he put his head in his hands, wishing it had never happened. He couldn't believe he had blown this. They had just gotten back together, and he couldn't even hold it together longer than _three fucking weeks_. He couldn't lose her again, he just couldn't…

"How long?" Her voice broke into his thoughts, making the panic swell._ LIE!_ his mind screamed, _lie to her, damn it!_

"I don't know." He looked up at her, then sighed hopelessly when he remembered he _couldn't_ lie to her. "Fine. Since I saw you at the back to school party."

"The back to school party," she repeated breathlessly, sinking down onto the bed next to him. He nodded. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Haven't we already established that I'm an idiot?" His head dropped to look at the floor. Now came the part where she told him she didn't love him. Where she told him she _couldn't_ love him, because she was this… amazing girl. Smart, gorgeous, classy, rich. And he was a poor boy from Chino who lived in a pool house and mooched off his lawyer's family. He couldn't look at her when she said it – he didn't want her to feel guilty at the pain he was sure would register on his face.

She turned to him, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at her. "I love you, too."

He hadn't realized his entire body had been tight until she said it. When she did, his mind froze for what seemed like years, unable to believe her. But as she held his gaze steadily, he slowly relaxed, letting a goofy grin spread across his face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, you idiot," she kissed him, smiling against his mouth. God, he loved her so much. She was too good for him, but he decided – for once in his life – to be selfish.

"How long?" he teased - giddiness rising painfully in his chest – and kissing her back.

She sat back, face crinkling with thought. She was so adorable. "Remember that one party we went to? The one where I thought you kissed me?" He nodded, the whole scene replaying in his head. "That's when."

"Are you sure? You were really drunk, and it was actually Trey you kissed."

"Yeah, I'm sure. And it wasn't the kiss. I remember sitting in the bathroom with you, and for the first time in my life, being comfortable. I mean, really comfortable." She paused, looking like she was trying to figure out what to say next. "Ryan, I've always been this lonely, awkward girl with no self confidence, and you just… accepted me, and made me feel safe. That whole time I was in Chino, you were this presence. Always there, constant."

"And here I thought I was all dangerous..." he breathed, trying to stifle the urgent flow of words with laughter. He wanted to tell her that she shouldn't _ever_ listen to her mother, that she was amazing, but the last thing he needed right now was to sound needy.

"Mmm, you are," she pushed him back onto the bed, bringing his thoughts to a skidding halt.

He raised an eyebrow, "that was a quick jump to the next level." His breath caught in his throat as she slid her leg across his waist, straddling him.

"Well, you _did_ tell me you love me, and I have this thing for men who are nice to me…" she grinned, pressing herself into him. He let his head drop back against the pillow, a loud groan tearing itself from his throat.

* * *

He watched her sleep, on his side, head propped up in one hand. He watched her sleep, the gentle rise and fall of her chest, eyelids fluttering with dreams he hoped were about him, lips slightly parted and exhaling. He watched her sleep, not sure of the time passing, but it must have been at least an hour.

How had he gotten here? Little more than seven months ago, he'd been just a boy from Chino with no future and no regard for anything. He'd been more responsible – yes – than his brother, but he hadn't been a saint. He'd used girls, he'd done drugs, he'd drank until he passed out, waking up in strange houses or dirty streets with no clothes. Now he was here, in the Mecca of excess, surrounded by people who looked like they had just stepped off movie screens, where people fought not with their fists but with words and cunning and money. Now he was part of a family that wouldn't abuse him, wouldn't leave him, wouldn't get him into trouble. Now he was in love, with a girl he had _no_ _right_ to love.

If only his old friends could see him now. They'd laugh, that was certain. They'd laugh, because they had no idea what this felt like: this wildly rising hope that wouldn't let him fall asleep. But he had new friends that would understand. Well, new _friend_. Seth knew exactly what this was like: finding someone who was so completely out of your league, and having her fall for you back. It was surreal, and he couldn't help but wonder when he would wake up.

"Ryan," her voice was scratchy and thick with sleep, eyes glazed over, barely open as she turned her head towards him. "You're thinking too much. Go to sleep."

He couldn't help but smile as he shifted onto his back – Trey disdainfully whispering '_whipped'_ in his head – feeling her move closer to him. As she wrapped herself around him almost possessively, he felt his body start to shut down, eyelids getting heavy, breathing getting deeper. If this was being whipped, he couldn't imagine being any other way.

_

* * *

_

End.

_I would just love to thank everyone who's stayed with me through this (especially those of you who've been with me since 'Chino'). Thank you all for __reading,__ and I really hoped you enjoyed it!_


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